New York Yankees

It was supposed to rain until 9 p.m., according to Joe Girardi. So no game, the first rainout here this season. CC Sabathia took his start being washed away in stride. “I’m not very intense before I pitch,” Sabathia said. “Either way, I wasn’t really worried about it. I was sitting on the couch, and they told me it was canceled. So I played catch. I’ll be fine.” So the Yankees will fly on to Baltimore this afternoon. “They’ve got a team that can go to the playoffs again,” Robinson Cano said. Sabathia will start Monday night against the Orioles, followed by Phil Hughes and Hiroki Kuroda. Vidal Nuno was originally going to start Monday night or Tuesday night, but he will be skipped and work out of the bullpen for a few days. After Thursday’s off day, David Phelps is set to start Friday night at Tampa Bay. As far as today’s ticket situation, fans with paid tickets can use them when the game is made up or exchange them for any regular-season game, subject to availability (and there seems to be availability this season). Complimentary tickets are only good for the makeup date, which hasn’t been announced. The post It’s still raining … appeared first on The LoHud Yankees Blog.

Right-hander Joba Chamberlain is heading to Tampa to continue rehabbing from the oblique strain that has sidelined him for more than three weeks now. He’ll throw a bullpen and make a minor league rehab appearance with High-A Tampa next week, and there’s a chance he could be activated when the Yankees are in town to play the Rays next weekend. Joba, 27, pitched to a 3.86 ERA and 3.46 FIP in 9.1 innings before the injury. He walked (six) nearly as many men as he struck out (seven), though all six walks came in his first three appearances — he struck out three and allowed six hits in his first seven appearances, all scoreless. Preston Claiborne has been awesome and Shawn Kelley has the third highest strikeout rate in baseball at 41.7% (min. 10 IP), but there’s always room for another quality reliever. If nothing else, the Yankees don’t have to worry about rushing Joba back right now. Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blogChamberlain will head to Tampa to continue rehab

Mother Nature prevented a potential pitchers' duel on Sunday, as rain washed away a matchup between the Blue Jays and Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (3-5, 4.83 ERA) was slated to square off against New York southpaw CC Sabathia (4-3, 3.19 ERA).

The Yankees’ series finale against the Blue Jays has been rained out. No makeup date has been announced as yet. The post Rained out appeared first on The LoHud Yankees Blog.

(Photo via CookAndSonBats.MLBlogs.com) Mother Nature might have mercy on the Blue Jays today. After losing the first two games of this series and eight of their first nine games against the Yankees this year, Toronto might be able to weasel out of Sunday’s game thanks to a steady but not heavy rain. With a win today, the Bombers will clinch at least a tie of the season series against the Jays. Here’s the lineup they’re sending out there against knuckleballing right-hander and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey… CF Curtis Granderson 2B Robinson Cano LF Vernon Wells DH Travis Hafner 1B Lyle Overbay 3B Jayson Nix RF Ichiro Suzuki SS Reid Brignac C Austin Romine And on the mound is the 2009 ALCS MVP, left-hander CC Sabathia. This afternoon’s game is scheduled to start a little at 1pm ET, but that seems unlikely based on what’s going on outside my window. If/when they do play, you can watch on YES. Enjoy. Update (12:33pm): The game has been postponed with no makeup date announced. The Jays come back to the Bronx just one more time this year, from August 20-22. Both teams are off on the 19th, so that might work for a makeup date. Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blogGame 44: Rain (Update: Postponed)

The newest new guy is here. Joe Girardi has Reid Brignac in his lineup (although it’s raining right now at 11:30). He’s down to play short and bat eighth. He arrived in town last night after being acquired Saturday from the Rockies, who had designated him for assignment after he batted .250 with a homer and six RBI in 29 games. Brignac said he was a little disappointed and upset when the Rockies dumped him and excited when the Yankees picked him up. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions,” Brignac said. Brignac is 27 and he knows this division rather well, having been with the Rays for all or parts of the last five seasons, primarily parts. He gives the Yankees a lefty-hitting option at short. He can also play third, second and the outfield. “Just to be a very good shortstop out there when he plays and to add offensively,” Girardi said of his expectations. “I’ve seen him have some big days. I’ve seen him have some good years. I think there’s some good talent there. So we’re going to see what he can do. “I think he’s a really good defender. I think he’s got a little pop in his bat. This ballpark might play well for that.” Chris Stewart is available in an absolutely-need-you situation after tweaking his groin rounding third on Thursday night, but he still won’t be starting behind the plate for at least a few days. “I have told him that tomorrow maybe we’ll start some tee and toss and see where he’s at in that situation, moving around,” Girardi said. “He’s still a guy who I would not hesitate to put in there if I had to, but I figured if you can get one more day in a sense, where it gives you almost 36 hours, let’s take it, take advantage of it. I don’t know if he would play Tuesday, but I want to know that he’s better so we could make a decision. He does feel better; he told me.” Girardi said Kevin Youkilis is making progress in rehab from his back problem, hitting off a tee and against soft tosses and taking grounders. Girardi also said the news on Mark Teixeira’s comeback from his wrist problem is good. “He’s been taking BP,” Girardi said. “He’s doing actually really well. We’re encouraged by what he’s doing. There has to be probably a next step here pretty quick where he starts to see some live BP or some simulated games.” The post Yankees pregame: Welcome Reid Brignac, and you’re starting at shortstop today appeared first on The LoHud Yankees Blog.

An appealing rainy spring day here in New York. Cool and breezy. Unless, of course, you are  at the Stadium to watch a baseball game. But if you’re home, it’s a fine day to make some food, sit back, relax, and cool out. 1. Granderson CF 2. Cano 2B 3. Wells LF 4. Hafner DH 5. Overbay 1B 6. Nix 3B 7. Suzuki RF 8. Brignac SS 9. Romine C It’s our man C.C. against the knucklenerd R.A.. Never mind the drizzle: Let’s Go Yank-ees! [Photo Via: Think Different]

“She’s A Rainbow”–The Stones [Photo Credit: RL Stars]

The Yankees went 5-3 this week. Hitters: David Adams - B+.286/.333/.429, 3 K, RBINotes: Adams made his major league debut this week and has been impressive offensively and defensively so far in his short career. He finally went hitless for the first time in his fourth game, but he needs to be consistent from here on out if he wants to keep his job or even a roster spot when Kevin Youkilis eventually returns. Robinson Cano - B+.250/.273/.563, 7 K, 3 HR, 10 RBINotes: Cano has been carrying this team for most of the season, but he went hitless in a few games this week. Thankfully, he still remained productive by collecting 10 RBI and hitting two home runs (two of which came in the same game!) in order to help the team. He needs to carry the team a little longer before he decides to fall into a slump, but so far he's doing exactly what the Yankees have needed. Brennan Boesch - Incomplete.250/.250/.250Notes: Boesch never really got a chance to play while with the team, but he did get some opportune hits. He was sent down to make room for Curtis Granderson, so there is a chance he could make a return. Ben Francisco - F.111/.111/.111, 2 KNotes: Francisco brought another nondescript week to the Yankees again. He only managed one hit in 9 at-bats, even though he batted fifth against a lefty. It's clear that he won't play too often, but he's still going to get some playing time for some reason; he needs to figure out some way to be productive the few times he does play. Brett Gardner - B+.267/.333/.367, 9 K, 2 RBI, 4 SBNotes: Brett Gardner has been frustrating this season. He has the game-changing abilities, but he either doesn't use them or struggles to use them correctly. He's patient at the plate, yet he's struck out a lot, he's super fast and yet he sometimes doesn't run. This week he struck out a lot and put together some bad at-bats in key situations, but he also ran a lot. He needs to turn a corner and I think he's nearly there. Alberto Gonzalez - C.333/.333/.333, KNotes: Gonzalez didn't contribute much, but at least he was not unproductive in the small amount of time he was with the team. He even pitched 0.1 innings and was going to be the emergency backup catcher before he was designated for assignment to make room for Reid Brignac. Curtis Granderson - B-.267/.313/.267, 3 K, SBNotes: Grandy hasn't played much, especially since Joe Girardi thinks he already needs days off after coming off the disabled list. He has collected a few hits, but he hasn't contributed a whole lot just yet. Grandy needs to find his rhythm and make it hard for Girardi to rest him. Travis Hafner - C-.182/.250/.545, 3 K, HR, 2 RBINotes: Hafner has been on the bench resting a sore shoulder for most of the week. Before he sat he was beginning to slip into a slump, which may have been a product of injury, but he did homer in his first game back. He needs to keep doing what he was doing before the sore shoulder and get back on track because the team needs him. Corban Joseph - Incomplete .167/.286/.333, KNotes: CoJo did an admirable job playing first base and second base during the doubleheader against the Indians. He collected his first hit and played a very solid first base, but, as the 26th man, had to be sent back down by the end of the day. If he continues to play well he should get another chance soon. Chris Nelson - D.273/.273/.273, 4 KNotes: Nelson started his Yankees career off on the wrong foot, then he picked it up, then he was designated for assignment and picked up by the Angels. Nelson will probably be forgotten in a few months and his existence on the team will be an obscure trivia answer. Jayson Nix - D-.143/.259/.143, 11 K, 3 RBI, SBNotes: Nix has been really bad for the past week, only managing three hits in 21 at-bats, but he has been able to do a few productive things. He struck out at a ridiculous rate, but this might be because he's been run into the ground. Nix is not a starter, yet he's played in all eight games this week. H

DENVER — Tyler Chatwood advanced his cause on Saturday night. He would like to stay in the Colorado Rockies’ rotation rather than make a few starts in place of an injured pitcher and then go back to Triple-A. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – New York Yankees News